Tap root cutter



INVENTOR: alhasar Lzdner .m 2 0 R.; A. u mb. 7 .m mr M q wa e .w IS 2 ea e 2%?, h h 4 4 3 s 3 9 2 Z a B o Y @hl n B gw/l w R 9 Rm 3x@ Mw Dc 4 Wmm 2N Q M Z/.u Lm .j r F BW. F d 3 Z Z l IBI 5@ 1I o l x. .w .Il l 9 wfIl. 1., a MM u M 7 2 w 2 Q 5 4 w m .n d p m .A .F

atented pr. 3,

UNITED PATENT ofi-ICE 547,400 vfinali? Boor co'rTE Baltlilas@G Rindner,Palatine, yIll. Applicationlune 2, 1947, Serial 7151,8,80

A `l (c1. 9771-191) I' y rIhis invention relates ingeneral to anagricultural implement for stirring'or looseningtlll, to .plow deeply orfor rootingr by cutting,1S.el/' Illg or tearing through -stubs .and'roots of trees, ,plants, brushes, or .the like, preferably belowpthe4surfaile of .the ground. i

The invention is more .particularly Vdescribed as a :tap root cutterwhich has a yblade movable below the surface of .the Aground forsevering the main or tap roots of small trees such asevergreens, whichtendito grow downwardly to great lengths so 4that they lare .usuallysevered about once ayear to rprevent the taproot from extending toodeeply into the ground.

An important object of the .invention is Ato ,provide Yanirripleinent ofthis knd'mounted .upon wheels and adapted to be drawn -by a tractororother source of power.

A Vfurtherlobject ofthe invention is .to provide a ywl'ieeled mountingfor theimplementwhi'chmay be Yadjusted in heightor 'depth .of cut ateither or both sides of the implement-by varyingthe position ofthesupporting wheel orlwheels.

' A stilllfurtherobject.ofthe invention is to provide means foradjusting th'elh'eight 'of Ieachwheel frcrn'fthe front of Hthevimplement adjacent `its connection withaY tractor or'.othervehicleso/that the-adjustmentm'aybelmadewithout the necessity .of stopping :themovement of the -fvlehicleby makingthe'adjustment from theitractor'orthe fi'ront ofthe implement.

Still a further object of the-invention is to provide a-blade Yorrcutter which is supported atlthe sides ofthe vehicle andvhas an angularforward extension therefrom adapted to pass. through and under theground more easily andtoreiect'the desired cutting operationwithgreater/certainty and lrequiring a minimum of power.

Othern objects offthe invention will appearin the specicationV and willbeapparent from the accompanying drawings in which, f'

Fi' A isa 'sideelevation' of aftap root cuttervin accordance with theYprinciples vof thisl invention; Fig. 2 isatop plan view ofthe cuttershownin Fig. 1; Y

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of thecutter'astaken on the 1ine.,3-,3 ofFig.=1; and v f n 'f Fig. 4 is anelevational.viewshowing howtheimplement is used in` cutting ,---thetapirootsvvof small trees lsuchasevergreens. n i

This implement provides a blade ladapted to cut below the surfaceof the,ground andupported atibesides 0f the, blade sa thateliher ,elle eribeth: eindey thereefamaylbe; indeeendeiiilyer ieiiitlyfraisedz-and/leweedltheimevement ef the blade through and below the surface of thevandai afeeraiikl, Qiie'a'iile per 011.31 ai iheeiarik groundbeing'pafrti'cularly adapted to sever the long/tap roots ofsmall'trees,'shrubs, and the like.

,The use and :application of thisimplement is found partioularlyinpreventing the tap roots of ce a'inftr'eesfromV becoming toodeeplyrooted which is a detriment lfwhe'nfthey are to be transplantedfor laldlsfip,li and other commercial and artistic purposes.' LUsuallythe roots are included ,with :a .ball of earth for transplanting andifft'he tap rootis allowed to grow'to too great a depth, labor ofdigging themes for transeiaiiiiiie is iee areal aiie iee eXeeiiSiie-Heietofore it hasbeen `:the practice to dig upthesmall apandthenv'tolreplant them for 'continued growth :until tney-,are sold fortransplanting, iThe present i,rnpleilnenrt provides means foreeveririeiiie .iaplreei,Wiiheuiiiaieeiiiie ei tiaiie'- elaiiiieliiieiieeaiisi thee eiieetsa great Saving iiiiiime arid'laleerwlieileve'ii'ie useely EReferring nnow :more particularly to thedrawiiige, aeelidcmeiaii nie hae Substantially 'parallel side piecesglllxconf edby affront cross piece l,!. and; abaclicrosspiec'e 12.Theside pieces liaveangulare'zgtensions I Sat the front terminatinsiriadiaeeiii verlieal ende le .seeuredliegfeiiie by fasering @elle le.:extending 4through the ends Ijlis a erjtical rowof holes` I8 toreceivela draw bar, el'eyis llyvhieh, may be atiaehed` 'eliifeiielik anynf,ythaheleaby afasienirig belli l3- With this.eenstruetieittheeleyieiaayflee raised @lowered-iamimeetilie implement tea Suitable source of power preferablywa tractor. A braoelB sonneeied,at; one, end, i0. theY upper partiell 1 0f endldby,aiasteningbolt 2,0andthe lower end Oflihelierace is ,eorlneeted bya bolt?! extendingthroushtheframe extension lnear the freni and Auttei YbladeHZhaSa/Qentral forwardly eX- tending angularporiion 2,6 and the blade ismountedatits ends below the sidepieces iaby Side laars 241 preferablyformadas Cntinuations ofilielendsefatheblade and firmly attached tothesidesby,fasteningi'bolts 2,5. Y.To additionally support the side barsin the frame, a` braee.2l';is provided atjeah Sislenneend of eachbrace.be" ine connected. to. .theiside bar by a fastening bolt Lilie .Side bai` beirisbent forwardly tofeenferm a ,niger-ted atllie being mounted inbearings 32 at the under sides or" the side pieces I0. Thus each wheelis separately mounted upon a crank pivoted in the side piece so thateach wheel may be separately raised and lowered in the frame.

In order to maintain each wheel in fixed position and also to raise andlower it as desired, a bar 33, preferably curved or having a curvedportion, is pivotally connected at its lower end by a fastening bolt 34to a projection 35 near the lower end of the crank 3G. At one side ofthe upper end of the bar is a rack 35 engaged by a pinion 31 at the endof a short shaft 38. The shaft extends through side plates 3Q connectedby a bottorn cross-piece 53 supported at the upper end of a bracket 4i?by means of a bolt 54 having an intermediate ball portion 55 engagingthe crosspiece and the top of the bracket 40, allowing the cross pieceand plates 39 to rock a limited amount on the bracket. The lower ends ofbracket 4E are divergent and connected by bolts il to the adjacent sidepieces IG preferably beyond opposite edges of the blade supporting barEil.

Extending between the side plates 39 are rollers 42 mounted to rotate onbolts 55 connected through the side plates, the rollers engaging the atside of the bar 33, thus holding the rack in engagement with the pinion31 and allowing free movement of the rack bar. Connecting the end ofeach shaft 38 with an angular extending shaft 43 is a limited universalconnector 44. The other end of shaft 43 is similarly connected byanother limited universal connector 44 with a short shaft 51 mounted ina yoke 45 having upper parallel portions connected by diverging legs 46with twisted extremities 41 secured to the adjacent side frame extensionI3 by bolts 4S. One of the diverging legs 46 is preferably connected tothe opposite side frame extension by a stiffening brace 49. Between theparallel portions of the yoke, a ratchet gear 55 is mounted on the shaft51 and a holding dog i is pivoted at the upper end of the yoke andengages the teeth of the ratchet gear for holding it in any adjustedposition.

At the forward end of the'shaft 51 which projects through the yoke 45 isa crank 52 by which the shaft may be turned. The crank is thus locatednear the adjacent end of the implement and the same crank is removableand used for either of the shafts 51. The double limited universalconnection permits a limited rocking movement of the short shaft 38 andits mounting plates 39, and makes a smoother adjusting connectionbetween the short shafts 38 and 51.

With this construction, the rotation of either shaft 51 will produce acorresponding rotation of its pinion 31 which will raise or lower thecorresponding rack 36 attached to the bar 33 which is pivoted to thecrank 3i), thereby raising or lowering the wheel axis with respect tothe frame and with respect to the cutter blade 22. For unequal ground,it may be desired to raise one wheel and lower the other and when theblade is not in use, both of the wheels may be lowered relative to theframe to free the blade from Contact with the ground.

In using the implement for cutting the tap roots of small trees 60 asshown in Fig. 4, the wheels 29 will be raised relative to the frame andto the blade 22 so that the latter will pass below the surface of theground engaging the tap roots at the predetermined depth. As theimplement is moved along, it will pass over the tops of the shrubs ortrees without damaging them, and the cutter blade will sever the taproots. As these trees are usually planted in regular furrows or rowsutheimplement will pass rapidly along a row of trees cutting the tap rootswithout otherwise damaging or dispacing the trees, and making itunnecessary to dig up the trees, to cut off tap roots and to againreplant the trees.

Although the construction and operation of this implement has beendescribed in detail as it relates to cutting tap roots, it should beregarded by way of illustration and example rather than as a limitationor restriction of the invention, as various changes may be made in theconstruction, combination and arrangement of the parts without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a tap root cutter, a wheeled frame having a front angulaj1 frameextension, a crank for mounting each wheel in the frame, a bar engagingthe crank near the wheel for raising and lowering it, a rack carried bythe bar, a pinion in engagement with the rack, the bar and rack beingcurved in an arc to raise and lower the crank, a frame rotatablymounting the pinion, means mounting the pinion frame for rockingmovement upon the wheeled frame, and shaft means extending to the frontof the angular frame and connected to the pinion for raising andlowering each wheel separately.

2. In a tap root cutter, a two wheeled frame having an angularconverging front extension, a crank for each wheel mounted in the frame,a bar having a curved portion extending upwardly from each crank, a rackcarried by the bar, a pinion engaging the rack, a short shaft upon whichthe pinion is mounted, means mounting the pinion and shaft for limitedrocking movement on the wheeled frame, and jointed shaft means extendingfrom the pinion and short shaft mounting means to the converging portionof the angular front extension for rotating the pinion and adjusting theposition of the wheel.

3. In a tap root cutter, a two wheeled frame having an angularconverging front extension, a crank for each wheel mounted in the frame,a bar connected to the crank and having a curved upper portion extendingabove the frame, a rack carried by the bar, a pinion mounted in on ashort shaft and engaging the rack, an open frame comprising side barsand a connected cross piece in which the pinion and short shaft aremounted, a yoke secured to the wheeled frame, means comprising a boltconnecting the yoke and said open frame with' a ball portion betweenthem upon which the open frame may be rocked for connecting the rack andpinion, and operating shaft connections to the angular front extensioncomprising limited universal connectors, and a confined front shortshaft section rotatable from the front extension for raising andlowering the corresponding wheel.

4. In a tap root cutter, a two wheeled frame having a converging frontportion, a crank for mounting each wheel in the frame, a bar engagingthe crank near the wheel for raising and lowering it, a rack carried bythe bar, a pinion in engagement with the rack, rollers engaging the backof the bar for holding the rack against the pinion, and jointed shaftmeans connected to the pinion and extending to the converging frame endof the machine for raising and lowering each wheel separately relativeto the frame.

5. In a tap root cutter, a wheeled frame, a pair of wheels each mountedupon a crank at one side of the frame, a rack and pinion device forraisthe shaft, a locking dog engaging the gear, and Number a crankattachable at the end of the shaft for ro- 1 014 470 tating theconnected shafts and raising and low- 1720'691 ering the wheel. 1545970BALTHASAR LINDNER. m 2,345,702

6 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Heer 1 Jan. 9, 1912 Printz July 16, 1929Briggs Apr. 18, 1939 Noble Apr. 4, 1944

